Box with inwardly telescoping cover



Feb. 28, G R BB BOX WITH INWARDLY TELESCOPING COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed Oct. 15, 1952 INVENTOR. JOSEPH gLEA A M56) jdW /M Ana/ways dling.

tainer. covers in vthe past telescoping overthe outside of thecon-United States Patent 2,736,486 ,Box WITH 'INWARDLY TELESCOPING covnn'Application October 15, 1952, Serial No. 314,82

8 Claims. (Cl. 229-43 The present invention relates to a box and coverconstruction adapted to provide the greatest security to the contents ofthe container despite rough and careless han- A serious problemencountered intheshipping ofgoods in containers having separate topclosures which are telescoped with respect to the container derives fromthe fact that those who handle the loaded containers are usually hastyand careless.

When the containers are to be lifted the handlers will grasp anyaccessible portion of the con- When telescoping covers are employed,such tainer, the exposed rim of the cover becomes quite accessible andis often, and indeed usually, grasped by handlers when the containeristo he lifted. Provision is generally made for locking the cover on thecontainer but these locking arrangements are not designed to Withstandthe stresses and strains incident to the lifting of the container andits contents solely by the container cover, as often occurs. Hence thecovers are frequently wrenched completely off the containers before thecontainers ever reach their destination. Damage to and loss of thecontents is an almost inevitable consequence.

The present invention avoids this difiiculty by so con structing thecontainer and the cover that the depending portions of the cover adaptedto telescope with respect :to the container slide inside the containerside walls, the top wall of the cover snugly fitting over and sealingthe open top of the container. The sides of the container are thereforesmooth and free of obstructions and the cover cannot be grasped byhandlers, who must therefore lift or move the container in aconventional manner more compatible with the security of the containerand its contents.

In order to ensure proper orientation of the top cover, to prevent thetop cover from being pushed too far into the container, and to securethe cover in place, the side walls of the container are provided withflaps of abbreviated height foldably secured to the' upper edges thereofand slots of appreciable length are provided at the foldlinestherebetween, the leaves depending from the top wall of the covertelescoping with respect to the container side walls by passing throughthose slots between the. side walls and the flaps, the cover top wallthus resting on top of the container and its inward motion being limitedby its engagement with the flaps. In addition, the telescoping leaveshave a height greater than the height of the flaps connected to thecontainerside walls, so that portions of the leaves extend below thelower edges of the flaps. These extending leaf portions carry securingstructure, here specifically disclosed as foldable tabs, which, afterthe leaves have been slid between the container side walls and flaps,are bent out beneath the lower edges of the flaps. Finger holes may beprovided in the container side walls, those finger holes registeringwith the tabs and providing access thereto so that proper'securingaction of the tabs is ensured. The securing structure is sufiicientlystrong so that if the box should be lifted while in inverted conditionthe weight of'the contents of the container willbe supported.

So positive and permanent is the operation of the securing structurethat when the loaded container has reached its destination the cover canbe removed only by cutting the container open. The fact that thecontainer and cover are thus destroyed after one use is not asignificant factor, since the containers are inexpensive and arenormally so damaged in transit that they would not be reuseable in anyevent. A i

To the accomplishment of the above, and to such other objects as mayhereinafter appear, the present invention relates to the construction ofa container and a cover therefor as defined in the appended claims andas described in this specification, taken together with the accompanyingdrawings in'whic'h:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a blank from which the container body maybe formed;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of top cover may be formed; p

Fig. 3 is a'three-quarter perspective View, takenpartially from above,showing the container body in parthe blank from which the tially erectedcondition;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the container body inalmost completely erected condition, the bottom flaps having been foldedunder the open bottom of the tubular container and some of the top flapshaving been folded down into operative position;

Fig. 5 is a three-quarter perspective view, taken partially from above,showing the container cover partially erected;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the container fullyerected and the cover in place;

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 7--7 of Fig. 6;and 7 Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view of the container, showing one ofthe cover leaves in telescoped position and with the securing structurerendered operative.

The container and cover as here specifically disclosed are designed inthe form of a half-bushel hexagonal tube for the shipment of fruits andvegetables and particularly adapted for express shipments of fancyfruits. It may, however, take numerous other forms and shapes withoutdeparting from the present invention.

The container body A is formed from the blank of Fig. 1, that blankincluding a plurality of panels 2 and 2 connected by fold lines 4 anddefining the side walls of the container. Alternate ones of thesepanels, here shown as the panels 2, are provided with lateral slots 6near the lower edges thereof. The end panel 2' is pro vided with asecuring flap 8 connected to its side edge bymeans of fold line 10.Alternate ones of these panels, here shown as the panels 2' have flaps12 foldably connected to the lower edges thereof by means of fold lines14, these flaps having a length such as to extend, when the container iserected, across the bottom of the container from the side wall panel 2'to which it is foldably connected to the opposite side wall panel 2.Connecting portions 16 are foldably connected to the free ends of theflaps 12 'by means of fold lines 18, those connecting portionsterminating in flaps 29 of a-siz'e such as to fit through the slots 6 inthe paneis 2, the flaps 24) having tabs 22 foldably connected to the endedges thereof.

Each of the side wall panels2 and 2' has'a flap 24 connected to theupper edge thereof by means of fold line 26, a slot 28 of appreciablelength, less than butpreferably constituting a major proportion of thewidth of the Side Wall panels 2 and 2 respectively, being formed .in thefold line 26.

The container body is erected by folding the-side wall panels 2 and 2'along the fold lines 4 until the .outeredge of the left'hand panel .2abuts the fold line 10, the securing flap 8 being folded inside the lefthand panel 2 and secured thereto by means of staples or the like 29 in aconventional manner. (See Fig. 3.) Thereafter the flaps 12 are foldedacross the open bottom of the tube defined by the side wall panels 2 and2, the width of a given one of the flaps 12 being insufficient to closethat bottom but the flaps 12 when folded overlapping so as to fullyclose the bottom. The connecting portions .16 are bent up along theoutside of the side wall panels 2, the tabs 22 are folded so asto lie ontop of the flaps 20, the flaps 20, with the tabs 22 thus positioned, arepassed through the slots 6 in the side wall panels 2, and the tabs 22are then folded out so as to positively prevent withdrawal of the flaps20 from the slots 6, thus firmly securing the bottom flaps 12 in placeand holding them with sufiicient strength so as to withstand the weightof the contents of the container. It may be pointed out that thesebottom-closing steps are not performed at the factory, the containerbody being shipped in collapsed condition, bent along opposite foldlines 4, with the flaps 12 in line with the side wall panels 2, thefinal erection steps being carried out at the point of use and when thecontainer is to be filled.

The only erection step remaining, insofar as the container body A isconcerned, is to fold the flaps 24 inwardly about the fold lines 26 sothat they extend along the inner surfaces of the side wall panels 2 and2 to which they are connected, the slots 28 thus being exposed at thetop of the container (see Fig. 4).

The container cover B is formed from the blank of Fig. 2, and includes atop wall 30 of the same size and shape as the horizontal cross sectionof the container body A. Leaves 32 are foldably secured to the edges ofthe top wall 30 by fold lines 33, the width of the leaves 32 beingsubstantially the same as the length of the slots 28 in the container soas to be passable through those slots and between the container sidewall panels 2 and 2' and their associated flaps 24. The height of theleaves 32 is greater than the height of the container flaps 24, so thatportions 34 of the leaves 32 will extend below the lower edges of theflaps 24. These extending leaf portions 34 are provided with securingstructure adapted, when the leaves are telescoped, to cooperate with theloweredges of the container flaps 24 so as to positively hold the coverB in place. As here disclosed, the securing structure is defined by apair of tabs 36 formed in t the extending leaf portions 34, extending tothe lower edges thereof, being inwardly spaced from the side edgesthereof, normally being in the plane of the leaves 32, but beingbendable out therefrom about the fold lines 38.

The container side wall panels 2 and 2 are provided 1 with finger holesadapted to register with the tabs 36 when the leaves 32 are fullytelescoped.

The container flaps 24 are normally folded down inside the containerside wall panels 2 and 2' before the container has been completelyfilled, subsequent filling of the container causing the contents thereofto engage the flaps 24 and hold them in position. After the containerhas been filled the leaves 32 of the cover B are folded down (see Fig.5) those leaves then being passed through the slots 28 and telescopedinside the container side walls 2 and 2 until the cover top wall 30rests on top of the container. As may best be seen from Fig. 7, theouter edges of the cover B are inwardly spaced with respect to the outersurfaces of the container side walls 2 and 2. Engagement between thecover top wall 30 and the container flaps 24 adjacent the fold lines 26positively limits the degree to which the cover B may be pushed downinto the container A. Thereafter, the tabs 36 may be pushed out from theplane of the portions 34 of the leaves '32 which extend below the loweredges of the flaps 24 by pressing inwardly with the finger or with atool through the holes 40 in the container side wall 2 or 2. As may bestbe seen from Fig. 7, these tabs 36 extend under the lower edges of theflaps 24 and are closely. adjacent thereto. Hence removal of the cover Bis positively prevented. Moreover, if the container should be invertedso that the weight of the contents thereof will be exerted downwardlyonthe cover top wall 30, separation of the cover B from the container Awill be prevented by interengagemeut between tabs 36 and the lower edgesof the flaps 24. Since this interengagement will be in the direction ofthe height of both of those structural elements, the securing actionwill be quite strong, much stronger than if stress had been exerted inthe direction of the thickness of one of those elements. Moreover, sincetwo securing tabs 36 are provided for each leaf 32, those tabs 36 beingsymmetrically spaced with respect to the width of the leaves 32, abalanced and double-strength securing action will take place.

It will be apparent that with the construction above described noportion of the cover B is exposed for grasping. Therefore it isimpossible for a handler to attempt to lift the loaded container eitherwholly or partially by its cover B. Moreover, the finger holes 40provide a hand-hold which invites use by handlers of the loadedcontainers. If the finger holes 40 are thus used, the weight of thecontainer will be supported almost exclusively by the upper edges of thefinger holes 40 and the lower edges of the flaps 24, the container bodyA itself thus taking the strain. In addition, since the finger holes 40are positioned closer to the upper edge of the container body A than toits lower edge, handlers of the loaded container are thus invited tolift and carry the containers in an upright rather than in an invertedcondition, thus making it more likely that the weight of the contents ofthe containers will almost always be borne by the bottom flaps 12specifically designed for that purpose.

While but a single embodiment of the present invention has been heredisclosed it will be apparent that many variations may be made thereinas to size, shape and other detailswithout departing from the spirit ofthe invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

l. in combination, a container comprising side walls, flaps ofabbreviated height foldably secured to the upper edges of said sidewalls and folded down inside said side walls, said container havingslots of appreciable length, less than the width of said side walls,adjacent the fold line between said side walls and said flaps, and saidside walls having finger holes under said slots and positioned belowsaid slots by a distance slightly greater than the height of the flapsfoldably secured to said side walls, and a cover comprising a top wallwith leaves depending therefrom, said leaves having awidth.correspending to the-length of said slots .and being passablethrough said slots between said side walls and saidfiap s, said leaveshaving a height greater than the height of said flaps so that a portionof said leaves extends below the lower edges of the flaps associatedtherewith when said top wall rests on the topof said container, saidextending leaf portions having tabs bendable out therefrom so as toproject under said flap edges and registrable with said finger holes. I

2. The combination of claim 1, in which said side walls are providedwith a pair of finger holes positioned inwardly with respect to the endsof the slots associated therewith, and in which said extending leafportions have a pair of bendable tabs registrable respectively with saidfingerholes, the entire bodies of said tabs being spaced inwardly fromtheside edges of said leaves.

3. A container-cover combination, said container comprising sidewallshaving flaps of abbreviated height foldably secured to the upper edgesthereof, extending down alongside said side walls and having slots ofappreciable length, less than the width of said side walls, adjacent thefold lines-between said side walls and said flaps, said covercomprising'a top wall of substantially the same shape and size as theinside cross section of said container, and leaves depending from edgesof said top wall, said leaves having a width corresponding to the lengthof said slots and passable through said slots between said side wallsand said flaps, said leaves having a height greater than the height ofsaid flaps so that portions of said leaves extend below the lower edgesof the flaps associated therewith when said top wall rests on the top ofsaid container, and securing structure on said extending leaf portionsand engageable beneath said lower flap edges so as to prevent removal ofsaid cover, said cover being entirely within the confines of a verticalprojection of said container.

4. In the combination of claim 3, said side walls having finger holesopposite said securing structure when said cover top wall rests on thetop of said container, thereby providing access to said securingstructure, said securing structure being normally located in the planeof said leaves but bendable out therefrom into edgeengaging position.

5. In combination, a container comprising side walls, flaps foldablysecured to the upper edges of said side walls and folded down insidesaid side walls, said container having slots of appreciable length, lessthan the width of said side walls, adjacent the foldlines between saidside walls and said flaps, said flaps having downwardly facing exposededges spaced downwardly from said side wall upper edges and under saidslots, said side walls having fingerholes under said slots and inregistration with and immediately below said downwardly facing flapedges, and a cover comprising a top wall with leaves dependingtherefrom, said leaves having a width corre sponding to the length ofsaid slots and being passable through said slots between said side wallsand said flaps, said leaves having a height such that a portion of saidleaves extends below said downwardly facing flap edges when said topwall rests on the top of said container, said extending leaf portionshaving tabs bendable out therefrom so as to project under saiddownwardly facing flap edges and registrable with said fingerholes.

6. The combination of claim 5, in which said side walls are providedwith a pair of finger holes positioned inwardly with respect to the endsof the slots associated therewith, and in which said extending leafportions have a pair of bendable tabs registrable respectively with saidfinger holes, the entire bodies of said tabs being spaced inwardly fromthe side edges of said leaves.

'7. A container-cover combination, said container comprising side wallshaving flaps foldably secured to the upper edges thereof, extending downalongside said side walls and having slots of appreciable length, lessthan the width of said side walls, adjacent the foldlines between saidside walls and said flaps, said flaps having downwardly facing exposededges spaced downwardly from said side wall upper edges and under saidslots, said cover comprising a top wall of substantially the same shapeand size as the inside cross section of said container, and leavesdepending from edges of said top Wall, said leaves having a widthcorresponding to the length or" said slots and passable through saidslots between said side walls and said flaps, said leaves having aheight such that a portion of said leaves extends below said downwardlyfacing flap edges when said top wall rests on the top of said container,and securing structure on said extending leaf portions and engageablebeneath said downwardly facing flap edges so as to prevent removal ofsaid cover, said cover being entirely within the confines of a verticalprojection of said container,

8. In the combination of claim 7, said side walls having finger holesopposite said securing structure when said cover top wall rests on thetop of said container, thereby providing access to said securingstructure, said securing structure being normally located in the planeof said leaves but bendable out therefrom into edgeengaging position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,341,429 Lewis May 25, 1920 1,425,549 Scruby Aug. 15, 1922 2,044,301Hill June 16, 1936 2,077,173 Holy Apr. 13, 1937 2,077,174 Hyndman Apr.13, 1937 2,340,229 Shakman Jan. 25, 1944 2,358,943 Smith Sept. 26, 19442,573,706 Grant Nov. 6, 1951 2,588,232 Grant Mar. 4, 1952 2,646,202Gibbons July 21, 1953

